STILL PROCESSING

We captured a lot of video while we were in Ethiopia and it's hard to really grasp (even just days later) what we just experienced. I'll watch the videos over and over and think "whoa... we really did that!" People ask how we're doing and if this part is hard or if we feel different now having met him. It's honestly hard to even answer just yet. I think we're still processing.

The first couple days we were back, Aaron and I were butting heads like crazy and after some thought, I kind of wondered if we were maybe just missing our son and trying to figure out how to deal with this whole thing. I remembered how different Aaron and I are when it comes to handling things that are tough. I tend to put up a wall, push through, act strong and stay busy. Which really is not the healthiest thing and is sort of the easy way out. Aaron on the other hand is completely ok with feeling everything, expressing his hurt and working his way through it. This is one of the things that made me fall in love with him. Fearless vulnerability! It is such a beautiful thing.

I'm thinking communication is going to be very important while we wait to bring Arthur home. We've got to respect each others process (right or wrong) and stay strong as a team! It wont be long!!

JUST MOMENTS BEFORE MEETING OUR SON

We can't wait to show you video and pictures of our beautiful boy, but little teasers like this one will have to do for the next couple of weeks.

HERE WE ARE!

Here we are at Ethiopia Guest House, right before our court appointment.

We had an amazing week!! The guest house was so beautiful and a couple of the other families from CHI were staying there. It was really great to spend the week with other families who were going through the same thing. There were four families total that had the same court date and we all have boys just a few months apart. I think we will all try to keep in touch and hope to travel together again for our second trip.

Court was a piece of cake. We all went in together. We handed over our passports, then the judge (a beautiful young woman) asked four or five questions. We all answered in unison, "yes". And that was it! She told us that the MOWA is 15-20 days behind on their letters, so we did not pass that day. We are glad to have a rough timeline. We are just hoping to get our letters before the courts close for the rainy season... around August 8th? Kind of cutting it close, but I really think we'll make it.

Meeting our son was an incredible experience. I thought it would be awkward and unnatural since we've never been parents before, but as soon as they handed him over it just felt right. He is so beautiful and his personality is just so perfect for us. He's going to be a great addition to the Hale household.

Thank you again for your support. We miss our boy so much, but we are excited to get back home to all our friends and family.

Oh... and we got incredible video of us meeting him for the first time. Can't wait to share!!!!!

A WORD ABOUT THE PAPA

This man is my best friend and there couldn't be a more perfect match for me. He loves me so well. He's gentle and kind and oh so patient with me. I have never doubted his love for me. He inspires me and makes me a better person. He has one of the biggest hearts I've ever known. He led me to Africa when we were dating and he's leading me to Africa again to meet our son.

Arthur,

Your Papa loves you like you wouldn't believe! He has prayed over you and cried with joy and sorrow over your little heart. I cannot wait to see you two together! We will be there so soon with lots of kisses and hugs. Can't wait!

Don't forget to vote today... I've moved all the way up to 29, thanks to you guys. Almost there!

LAST DAY IN THE OFFICE BEFORE WE LEAVE!

(I know, people keep telling me he looks a lot like Tom Selleck... weird.)

THIS IS WHERE I SWALLOW MY PRIDE AND BEG...

You guys have been amazing and I moved up to number 42! In 4-ish days! I think that's pretty good! I normally don't do this kind of thing, but this just sort of happened and I'm getting kind of excited about it. It would be really cool to be in this Top 25 list and reach a new group! The timing couldn't be more perfect because "love is waiting" is about to get a lot more interesting since

WE LEAVE ON MONDAY TO GO MEET ARTHUR!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it? Monday we will get on a plane and travel to meet our baby! We have been looking forward to this day for almost 2 years and now it's almost here. We want to try to document this trip and share as much as we can here on the blog. Check in for our video blog series to begin. Not exactly sure what this will look like or how good out internet connection will be, but we want to share these moments with you.

Oh yeah... back to the voting... voting ends June 21st. Please spread the word and vote every day if you can!

BACK IN BUSINESS!

Due to popular demand... and very expensive plane tickets, I have re-stocked the store!! I am so excited for you to see the new items in the store. (Please be patient with me as I drag you through another pre-order. I am planning to ship the shirts July 18th.)

BABY JAMBO!! (yeah... I went there. Could you die?) I know you have

a baby or know someone who has a baby. Go get one of these right now!

Also the adult size JAMBO shirt is back and fully stocked for your

shopping convenience. With enough mediums to clothe the planet!!

And finally, the Love is Waiting shirt on the Eco-Heather V-Neck,

because everyone knows this is the best fitting shirt money can buy!

FRANKFURT

A while back Aaron and I talked about how we wanted to schedule a stopover on the way to/from Ethiopia. Depending on what airline you use, your layover could be Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Frankfurt and some other neat places I'm forgetting. We didn't really have a preference and we left it up the travel agent. The best deal he could find for us was a stopover in Frankfurt. How cool is that?! We have a good 24 hours to spend there and I have NO IDEA what we are going to do. Sometimes Aaron and I do better without an itinerary. One last adventure. Just the two of us. In Frankfurt. I LOVE IT!

DREAM NUMBER THREE

With the amount of time I spend thinking about this boy, you'd think I would have more dreams about him. I'm afraid it's true... only 3 dreams in 16 months.

The most recent dream happened last week. It was really fun but kind of short... Aaron and I were in Ethiopia meeting Arthur for the first time and all I really remember is that as soon as that sweet baby caught a glimpse of Aaron he smiled SO BIG... almost like he already knew Aaron. I have to admit, I was a little jealous when I woke up, but I was excited to tell Aaron.

Since that dream I have been praying that God would give Arthur visions of our faces, so that maybe when he does see us, he's not freaked out and might even recognize us... might even give us a BIG SMILE!

Crazier things have happened ;)

SO STINKIN' CUTE!!

Aaron and I have been pretty disciplined when it comes to buying clothes for Arthur. We knew we just had to be patient. Even after we received our referral, we had no idea when he would be coming home. Even now we don't know how big he'll be, but we know how old he is! AND we know he'll be home in just a couple months! This week we gave ourselves permission to go get a few things. Maybe it's weird but I kind of just want to dress him like a grown man and skip on the cartoon critters. We found some really cute things at Old Navy and Target, but we're really excited to get our hands on some baby boy clothes from ZARA! Here's a little outfit I put together...

I mean seriously cute stuff, right?